On this 9/11, have we now passed a turning point?

The 11th anniversary of the terrorist attacks in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Shanksville, Penn., and we have stories and photos. Also, we take a look at how much money our members of Congress spend in order to generate campaign funds. Paramedics can now get certified for non-emergency health care needs. A new baseball stadium for St. Paul scores well among state economic officials. And there are some sobering numbers about the homeless and those on food stamps in Minnesota.

Pausing anewAs Americans paused to mark the 11th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks with familiar ceremony, many also expressed a sense that it's time to move forward after a decade of remembrance. In previous years, thousands of family members would attend the ceremony at ground zero. Fewer than 200 family members, clutching balloons, flowers and photos of their loved ones, had gathered by Tuesday morning.

Obama, Romney, give it a restBoth President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney plan to take down their negative presidential campaign ads in honor of the 11th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Neither planned to appear at overtly political events -- even though Election Day is never far from their agendas.

Dayton proclaims Patriot DayGov. Mark Dayton has proclaimed Tuesday Patriot Day and A Day of Service and Remembrance to honor the victims of the Sept. 11 attacks, ordering flags lowered to half-staff at all state and federal buildings in Minnesota from sunrise until sunset Tuesday.

Globe University's recruitment, revenue tactics questionedFormer employees and students of for-profit Globe University and the Minnesota School of Business paint a picture of schools that target students eligible for subsidized loans and grants, but who have low prospects for academic success. They also raise questions about whether students at those schools -- and the taxpayers who subsidize them -- are getting their money's worth.

Saints ballpark pitch gets high marksThe cities of St. Paul, Duluth and Litchfield lead the running for $47.5 million in state grant money available for local projects. St. Paul's $27 million proposal to build a new downtown ballpark for the minor League St. Paul Saints had the highest score in the metro area, with 77 points. And Duluth leads the northern region, with its $10 million request to fund downtown development and build a public parking ramp.

How Congress members spend money to make moneyWith the November election less than two months away, congressional candidates are raising a lot of money. Much of it is spent on advertising, staff and lawn signs. But there's another area where some candidates spend a lot of cash -- they spend to raise more. Among the biggest spenders are three members of the Minnesota delegation: U.S. Reps. Michele Bachmann, Keith Ellison and Erik Paulsen.

Minn. schools will report chickenpox casesFor the first time, all Minnesota schools are being required to report cases of chickenpox among their students and staff to the Minnesota Department of Health. Depending on the severity of a potential chickenpox outbreak, the agency may also urge schools to exclude unvaccinated students.

More Minnesotans homelessHomelessness is on the rise in the state's largest cities, according to a report released today by the Minnesota Housing Partnership, with Minneapolis, St. Paul and Duluth school districts reported nearly 1,000 newly homeless children.

Food stamp numbers climbMore than 500,000 Minnesotans are on food stamps, almost double since 2006, shows an annual report. The fastest growing group was children. Sixty percent of recipients were white and women outnumber men.

'Community paramedics' could address rural health care challengesMinnesota could have several hundred practicing "community paramedics" within a year, a new designation of health care provider spawned by the shortage of doctors and nurses in rural parts of the state. Minnesota is the first state in the country to establish the new classification under law. Some officials hope that as many as 20 percent of the state's 2,200 paramedics will obtain the certification.

No smoking on the LakewalkTired of litter from high schoolers, and hoping to shoo away patrons of a local head shop, the Duluth City Council has voted to ban smokers from lighting up outside on the Lakewalk.

How will religion influence Nov. election?As voters take a stand on marriage amendments, the economy and women's rights, religion continues to have an influence as they pay more attention to the candidates post-Labor Day. Dr. David Innes, professor and co-chair of the School of Politics, Philosophy and Economics at The King's College, and Sally Steenland, director of the Faith and Progressive Policy Initiative, joined The Daily Circuit to talk about the issue.